Method of making direct spinner novelty yarn



Aug. 8, 1967 J. H. RADCLIFFE 3,334,483

METHOD OF MAKING DIRECT SPINNER NOVELTY YARN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 2, 1965 METHOD OF MAKING DIRECT SFINNER NOVELTY YARN Filed April 2, 1965 J. H. RADCLIFFE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR @4 4 Hi /wax IFFE dot M ATTORNEYS United States Patent Gffice 3,334,483 Patented Aug. 8, 1967 3,334,483 METHOD OF MAKING DIRECT SPINNER NOVELTY YARN Joel H. Radcliffe, Greensboro, N.C., assignor to Burlington Industries, Inc., Greensboro, N.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 445,030 8 Claims. (Cl. 57157) This invention relates to a composite novelty-effect, or decorative yarn and its method of production. In particular it relates to a novelty-effect yarn having a plurality of slubs of variable length disposed along the yarn at randomly spaced intervals.

Slub yarn, as is known, is broadly characterized by bunches, protrusions or other such variations in cross section of the yarn. These variations, or slubs, may occur occasionally as defects during normal yarn processing or they may be intentionally produced in large numbers to create a decorative effect. The slubs may be spaced at equal or unequal distances along the foundation yarn, and they may vary in length and thickness depending on the method of manufacture. The final yarn is conventionally employed in making fabrics which are in part dependent for their decorative effect on the slubs distributed throughout the surface of the fabric.

In one type of slub yarn production the slubs are produced with an effect yarn variable lengths or slubs of which are combined with a continuous foundation yarn. It is known, for example, to combine a continuous filament tow with a particular type of effect yarn by a direct spinning process. In this known process a bundle of continuous filaments adapted to draft and rupture (the foundation yarn) and a smaller bundle of filaments or fibers adapted to rupture at preweakened points without drafting (the effect yarn) are fed together to the rear rolls of a direct spinning apparatus. The front rolls of the apparatus, which are driven at a greater peripheral speed than the rear rolls, grip and apply tension to the two bundles and subsequently forward them to a suitable spinning device. The tensioning effect ruptures and drafts the continuous filaments of the foundation yarn into staple yarn and severs or snaps the filaments of fibers of the effect yarn at irregular intervals corresponding to the weak portions. The rupturing of the effect yarn forms tails which tend to pull rapidly away from the rupture point and thereby form slubs in the form of fluffs which project laterally from the foundation yarn.

It is the primary object of the present invention to produce a slub-type yarn of novel and improved appearance having slubs which lie generally parallel with the foundation yarn as contrasted to the laterally projecting, fluff-type slubs heretofore produced.

It is a more specific object to provide a direct spinning type process for producing a slub-type yarn inwhich the effect yarn is pulled apart and drafted to a small extent by the tensioning effect rather than being instantaneously severed or snapped. The free ends of the effect yarn thereby do not tend to bunch, and the result is that the slubs formed by the pulled-apart lengths of the effect yarn extend generally parallel to the foundation yarn.

It is a further object to provide a process of the above type in which the pull-apart feature and the consequent laying of the slubs generally parallel to the ground yarn is achieved by employing an effect yarn which has very low tensile strength and little or no twist. Preferably the effect yarn is produced from staple fiber by a condenser or woolen type carding operation which is adjusted to produce the low strength, low twist yarn. The condenser type yarn may be of any synthetic or natural material which can be spun by the woolen system.

It is a further object to provide a process of the above type in which the effect yarn is positively guided and maintained in contact with the foundation yarn during the tenstoning operation. This assures that the pulled-apart lengths of the effect yarn will not wander to one side of the foundation yarn and become separated therefrom before the two can be combined by twisting. In practice this may be accomplished by providing a traveling apron between the front and rear rolls and by feeding the effect yarn so as to lie between the foundation yarn and the apron.

The invention will be further understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a direct spinning apparatus for carrying out the process of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of part of the apparatus of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a view, on an enlarged scale, of a length of the yarn produced by the apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic side view of a woolen type carding installation suitable for making the effect yarn for use in the apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 2.

Referring to FIGURE 1 there is shown schematically a direct spinning machine of basically conventional de sign suitable for carrying out the process of the present invention. The machine includes a. pair of rapidly driven front rolls 10 and 12, a pair of more slowly driven rear feed rolls 14 and 16 and an apron 18 extending along a draft zone between the pairs of rolls. The apron 18 is in the form of an endless beltwhich is looped over two freely running guide rollers 20, 22 and a stationary nose 'bar 24, the latter being disposed closely adjacent the nip of the front rolls 10, 12. The roller 22 is in contact with and driven by the rolls 14.

In operation of the machine continuous filament tow 26 is fed from a creel (not shown) around three tension guides 28, 30, 32 to the nip of the rear rolls 14 and 16 and thence around the outside of the roll 14. Simultaneously, and effect yarn 34 capable of forming slubs is guided to the roll 16 so as to lie between the latter and the tow 26. From the nip of the rear rolls 14 and 16, the tow 26 and the effect yarn 34 are carried along on top of the apron 18 tothe nip of the front rolls 10 and 12. At this point a binder yarn 35 may also be fed between the front rolls. The composite yarn thus produced then passes to a conventional spinning device 36. The difference in surface speed of the front and rear pairs of rolls aided by their positive nip breaks the continuous filaments of the tow 26 and drafts the lengths into a foundation yarn 38 in the usual manner of a direct spinning machine.

The effect yarn 34 is also separated into lengths by the 'tensioning process and, as is broadly known in the prior art, forms spaced slubs on the yarn leaving the front rolls. However, the precise manner in which the slubs are formed and their appearance in the final yarn are novel. As will be more fully described hereinafter, the desired result is obtained by employing a spun staple fiber yarn of very low strength and little or no twist.

Tension in the draft zone between the front and rear pairs of rolls causes the effect yarn 34 to pull apart with little or no snapping action of the ends of the pulledapart lengths. This in turn causes the whole of each length to remain substantially parallel to the drafted tow, or foundation yarn 38, and as seen in FIGURE 3, provides a slub 40 which has no curls or bunches. This is in contrast with the slubs heretofore produced by direct spinning of a rupturable effect yarn, because the snapping action of the ruptured yarn in the latter process tends to form a piled effect. It will be seen that the ends of the slubs 40 produced by the present process lie along the foundation yarn 38 and taper to a very small diameter rather than tending to form bunches projecting laterally from the foundation yarn. This reduced diameter at the ends results from both the pulling apart function and from an actual drafting of the staple fibers within the effect yarn 34.

FIGURE 2 illustrates more in detail the manner in which the tow 26 and effect yarn 34 are processed by direct spinning. The tow tension guides 28, 30 and 32 are mounted on a single guide plate 42 near the driven roll 16 so as to engage the tow 26 with the side of the roll opposite the nip. The plate 42 is also provided with a special guide 44 which acts on both the tow 26 and the effect yarn 34 to effect their alignment and relative positions with respect to the roll 16. As shown, the guide 44 is in the form of a stiff wire fixedly attached at one end to the plate 42 and having a downwardly facing hook 46 at its other end. Opposite the hook 46 is a straight portion 48 which is disposed above and parallel to the roll 16.

In operation of the FIGURE 2 arrangement the tow 26 passes around the tension guides 28, 30 and 32, over the straight portion 48 of the guide 44 and then into engagement with the roll 16 at a location opposite the nip. Simultaneously the effect yarn 34 is passed downwardly through a pigtail guide 50, under the hook 46 of the guide 44 and into engagement with the roll 16 between the surface of the roll and the tow 26. The alignment of the effect yarn with the tow is obtained primarily by the location of the hook 46 directly opposite the point of contact of the tow with the straight portion 48.

The effect yarn 34 and the tow 26 then pass around the outside of the roll 16 to the nip of the latter with the roll 14 and thence around the roll 14 to the upper surface of the apron 18. As a result of the initial relationship with the roll 16, the effect yarn is disposed between the apron 18 and the tow 26. This is an important feature of the invention, because it assures that the slubs 40 will be incorporated into the final yarn rather than lost by separation from the drafted tow, or foundation yarn 38.

The effect yarn 34 will be pulled apart at spaced intervals between the front and rear pairs of rolls due to the tension produced by these elements. The length of the pulled-apart portions will vary from staple length to the length of the draft zone, for example, from one inch to twelve inches. Each of the thus-produced slubs 40 will be rapidly drawn through the apparatus by the front pair of rolls due to the relatively high peripheral speed thereof. The leading end of the next slub 40 will therefore be longitudinally spaced from the above-mentioned trailing end. Since both the trailing end and the leading end tend to lie fiat against the foundation yarn 38 without curling or bunching, there is little natural tendency for the slubs to adhere to the latter. In the absence of some positive manner of maintaining the slubs in contact with the foundation yarn 38 in the draft zone, the slubs 40 will tend to wander to one side of the foundation yarn 38 and be thrown out into the air as they emerge from between the front rolls and 12. Therefore, by mechanically holding the slubs and foundation yarn in contact with each other until they reach the nip of the front rolls 10 and 12 the process of the present invention assures that the slubs will not become separated and lost. Since twisting begins at the nip of the front rolls 10 and 12, the slubs and foundation yarn become joined to each other as they leave these rolls.

As also illustrated in FIGURE 3 a binder yarn 35 may be employed to aid in uniting the slubs 40 and the foundation yarn 38. The binder 35 will generally be of relatively low denier compared to the foundation yarn 38 and will normally have little or no effect on the appearance of the final yarn. If desired, of course, it may be of contrasting color and of substantial denier and thereby add to the appearance of the final yarn. As shown, the binder is fed downwardly through a pigtail guide 52 directly to the nip of the front rolls 10 and 12. The guide 52 is slightly offset from the median vertical planes of the rolls 10 and 12 so that the binder 35 enters the nip at a small lateral angle to the foundation yarn 38.

The invention is not restricted to any particular type of binder or tow. Normally, rayon, polyester or acrylic tows varying from 1200 to 6000 denier may be selected and directly spun into foundation yarns varying from 8/1 to 60/1 cotton count. For example, a finished slub yarn of 12/1 cotton count having an overall twist of 12 turns per inch can be made as follows:

Percent 4400/2934/0 Narco tow 59.4 1 end 4/ 1 rayon (condenser spun effect yarn) l8 1 end denier rayon (binder yarn) 22.6

This yarn when woven as the filling with a silk Warp produces a fabric having a definite silk-like appearance on which the slubs have a marked effect.

Referring now to the characteristics of the effect yarn 34 which produce the desired pulled-apart and laid-down slubs 40 it is necessary that the yarn have very low tensile strength in order to prevent the ends of the separated lengths from snapping, curling, tailing or otherwise forming bunches or a piled appearance. There is not a sharply defined upper limit of tensile strength applicable to all effect yarns, because the transition from pull-apart-anddraft to a snapping-and-piling action does not occur at a sharply defined tensile strength. Moreover, the range of strengths in which the desired fiber separation changes to fiber snapping will vary somewhat with process conditions such as the speed ratio of the front and rear pairs of rolls. It has been found, however, that substantially twistless condenser spun staple fiber yarn having a maxi mum strength in the range 645 grams to 2090 grams measured on a Uster single end break tester is suitable for the process. A particularly useful maximum strength is about 1160 grams. The lower limit of tensile strength is determined primarily by the strength necessary to permit the necessary handling of the yarn before it reaches the draft zone of the direct spinning apparatus. The minimum strength varies in the range 255 grams to 830 grams depending on process conditions, with a usual value of about 460 grams.

It is also necessary that the effect yarn have little or no twist because the twist not only lends strength to the yarn but also tends to cause the pulledapart lengths in the draft zone to curl or bunch and produce a pile-effect. Ordinarily a condenser spun staple fiber yarn must have a small amount of twist, for example 3 /2 turns per inch, in order to hold it together, and this small twist can be tolerated in the slub-forming process of the present invention. It is therefore desirable to employ yarn with the smallest amount of twist consistent with the process requirement, and this amount of twist is hereinafter referred to as substantially no twist.

The composition and denier of the effect yarn are of no special significance. Yarns of 100% staple rayon, blends of staple rayon with staple silk and other staple fibers, and even 100% cotton staple may be employed. From the standpoint of appearance synthetic staple is usually preferred.

It has been found that an effect yarn having the necessary low tensile strength and low twist can best be produced by a woolen or condenser carding operation employing variable length staple fiber. Condenser spun yarn produced by such an operation can be spun with very low twist and when so produced can be pulled apart by fiber slippage rather than fiber breakage. As indicated above, it is this pull-apart characteristic of the effect yarn which produces the novel slubs and which distinguishes the present invention from the prior processes and prior slub yarns.

FIGURE 4 schematically illustrates a woolen carding operation which is suitable for producing the necessary effect yarn. As is known, the woolen system process involves, broadly, the steps of fiber opening, blending with other fibers (if desired), picking, carding and condensing without giving any twist to the fibers. The installation illustrated is a 3-card set arrangement. The first portion of the installation comprises a feed setup 56 including a scale pan and a feed apron for conveying staple fiber, for example, rayon staple, to the first of the three card sets 58, 58 and 58". The first, or breaker card set includes a breast cylinder 60, or licker-in cylinder, covered with rather coarse card clothing for conducting the staple to the main breaker card cylinder 62. The breast cylinder 60 together with three stripper rolls 64 and three worker rolls 66 also serve to partially open up the fibers. The main breaker card cylinder 62 is provided with stripper rolls 66 and worker rolls 70. As is known in the art, these rolls and the main cylinder 62 are covered with card clothing having many teeth of pressed steel projecting therefrom.

The first card set 58 also includes a rapidly rotating card clothed fancy roll 72 whose teeth dip into the clothing on the main cylinder 62 for transferring the carded fibers from the main cylinder 62 to a doffer roller 74. In the carding operation the worker rolls 70 have the fibers laid onto their card clothing by the cylinder 62. The stripper rolls 66 take the fibers from the workers and redeposit them on the cylinder 62 because of their greater speed and the manner .in which their teeth are set. The overall effect is to produce a uniform sheet of fibers with lumps of fibers broken up and evened.

Between the first and second card sets 58 and 58' is a Peralta machine to which the carded fibers are passed after having been removed from the doffer roller 74 by a doffer comb 78. The latter device consists of a sawtoothed, oscillating blade which strips the carded fibers from the surface of the roll 74 in the form of a web. The Peralta machine 76 comprises two highly polished chilled steel rollers 80 and 82 which are spring biased toward each other to produce a very high pressure at their nip. The function of the rollers is to crush foreign matter to a finely divided form which will be removed by the second and third card sets 58 and 58". Rayon staple is subject to injury by crushing, and therefore when this material is present the Peralta machine will be made inoperative by separating the rolls 80 and 82.

The web of fibers passes from the Peralta machine to a card clothed roll 84 and doffer comb 86 and thence to a conveyor arrangement 88 which includes a conventional lap layer and finishing feed table 102.

From the feed table 102 the web of fibers passes to the main cylinder 62', strippers 68' and workers 70' of the second card set 58' Where it is further carded. A fancy 72 strips the web from the cylinder 62' and transfers it to a dolfer roller 74' from which it passes to the third card set 58" for still further carding. From the latter the Web passes over the fancy 72" to a doifer roller 74".

The fully carded web is removed from the dofier roller 74" by a doifer comb 104 and then passes to a fonr-tier tape condenser 106. As is known in the art, the purpose of the latter is to divide the full-Width web into a series of narrow stirps which are then condensed to roving form. The condensing operation is performed by rub panels 108 in the form of opposed endless aprons which agitate the strips to impart mock twist thereby converting them to rovings 110. The rovings are then wound on jack spools 112 without twisting. The jack spools 112 with the rovings 110 wound thereon are subsequently moved to a Woolenspinning frame (not shown) where the rovings 110 are spun into low strength, substantially twistless yarn. Preferably only enough twist is imparted during the spinning operation to hold the fibers together. The yarn may then be employed as the effect yarn 34 of the slub-forming process of the present invention.

It will thus be appreciated that the present invention provides a slub-type yarn of unique appearance and a unique process for its manufacture. The success of the invention, as fully described above, depends primarily on employing in a direct spinning operation a slub-producing yarn which is characterized by forming slubs which lie flat against the foundation yarn rather than slubs which are in the form of nubs, tufts or balls projecting laterally from the foundation yarn. The desired lay-down type of slub is achieved with an effect yarn spun from staple fibers on the woolen system and having low tensile strength and substantially no twist. This type of yarn gradually pulls apart in the draft zone by virtue of fiber slippage rather than by an instantaneous snapping action. As a result the pulled-apart pieces, or slubs, remain generally parallel to the foundation yarn.

Thus, the success of the invention is realized from the pull-apart characteristic of the yarn and not from any criticality of composition, denier or cotton count. The nature of the tow, or bundle of continuous filaments, which is drafted to form the foundation yarn is limited only to tows capable of being converted to yarn by a direct spinning process. Accordingly, the specific embodiment described above is exemplary, and it will be understood that various changes may be made within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a slub-containing spun yarn from both continuous filaments and staple fibers which comprises: applying tension to a bundle of continuous filaments by passing said bundle through the drafting zone of a direct spinning device; rupturing said continuous filaments in the drafting zone and drafting the ruptured filaments into a foundation yarn; simultaneously applying tension to a low strength condenser spun staple fiber yarn of substantially no twist by passing said yarn in contact with said bundle through said drafting zone; pulling discrete slubs of variable length from said staple fiber yarn in said drafting zone and simultaneously disposing said slubs in generally overall parallel relationship with said foundation yarn, the separation of said slubs from said staple fiber yarn being effected by drafting and slippage of the staple fibers as contrasted to breaking of the fibers by snapping whereby the ends of said slubs tend to lie flat against said foundation yarn; and twisting together said slubs and said foundation yarn subsequent to their passage through said drafting zone.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein said staple fiber yarn has a tensile strength not exceeding about 2090 grams whereby the tendency of said yarn is to pull apart without snapping.

3. A method as in claim 1 including the step of mechanically maintaining said staple fiber yarn in positive engagement with said bundle of continuous filaments in said drafting zone.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein said twisting operation includes twisting a binder yarn with said founda tion yarn and said slubs.

5. A method of making a slub-containing yarn with a direct spinning apparatus of the type having a pair of rear rolls, a pair of front rolls rotating at a greater peripheral speed than the rear rolls and an endless apron extending between said pair ofrolls, said method comprising: simultaneously feeding to said rear rolls a bundle of continuous filaments capable of being ruptured and drafted in the drafting zone between said pairs of rolls and a condenser spun staple fiber yarn, said yarn having sufliciently low tensile strength and sufficiently low twist to enable the same to be longitudinally pulled apart by slippage of the staple fibers and without snapping when tension is applied thereto; forming slubs in said drafting zone by gripping said staple fiber yarn between said front rolls and pulling off variable lengths from the yarn passing into the drafting zone, said slubs lying generally along the axis of said continuous filaments and being substantially free of any tendency to curl and bunch; simultaneously gripping said bundle of continuous filaments between said front rolls and rupturing and drafting said filaments into the form of a foundation yarn; and subsequently twisting said foundation yarn with said slubs to form a yarn having intermittent slubs therein.

6. A method as in claim 5 wherein said staple fiber yarn is passed between said rear rolls so as to be disposed between said apron and said bundle of continuous filaments whereby the slubs and foundation yarn are maintained in positive contact with each other in said drafting zone.

7. A method as in claim 6 wherein said bundle of continuous filaments and said staple fiber yarn are passed around a substantial portion of one of said rear rolls before passing between the pair of rear rolls and wherein said staple fiber yarn is guided into contact With said one roll at a location between the surface of said one roll and said bundle of continuous filaments.

8. A slub-containing spun yarn produced according to the process of claim 1.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 928,831 7/1909 Wood 57139 2,845,771 8/1958 Neisler 57140 2,950,591 8/1960 Mandukich 57-157 3,053,040 9/1962 Livingston 57-91 3,102,379 9/1963 Eble et al 57-'140 3,123,972 3/1964 Stamps et a1 57140 3,153,315 10/1964 Arthur et a1. 57-140 3,205,648 9/1965 Lohrke 57-139 FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

J. PETRAKES, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A METHOD OF MAKING A SLUB-CONTAINING SPUN YARN FROM BOTH CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS AND STAPLE FIBERS WHICH COMPRISES: APPLYING TENSION TO A BUNDLE OF CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS BY PASSING SAID BUNDLE THROUGH THE DRAFTING ZONE OF A DIRECT SPINNING DEVICE; RUPTURING SAID CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS IN THE DRAFTING ZONE AND DRAFTING THE RUPTURED FILAMENTS INTO A FOUNDATION YARN; SIMULTANEOUSLY APPLYING TENSION TO A LOW STRENGTH CONDENSER SPUN STAPLE FIBER YARN OF SUBSTANTIALLY NO TWIST BY PASSING SAID YARN IN CONTACT WITH SAID BUNDLE THROUGH SAID DRAFTING ZONE; PULLING DISCRETE SLUBS OF VARIABLE LENGTH FROM SAID STAPLE FIBER YARN IN SAID DRAFTING ZONE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY DISPOSING SAID SLUBS IN GENERALLY OVERALL PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID FOUNDATION YARN, THE SEPARATION OF SAID SLUBS FROM SAID STAPLE FIBER YARN BEING EFFECTED BY DRAFTING AND SLIPPAGE OF THE STAPLE FIBERS AS CONTRASTED TO BREAKING OF THE FIBERS BY SNAPPING WHEREBY THE ENDS OF SAID SLUBS TEND TO LIE FLAT AGAINST SAID FOUNDATION YARN; AND TWISTING TOGETHER SAID SLUBS AND SAID FOUNDATION YARN SUBSEQUENT TO THEIR PASSAGE THROUGH SAID DRAFTING ZONE. 